Cost Effective Solution to save Coconut trees during forth coming water scarcity months due to El Niño : Olla Irrigation - Ancient Wisdom for Modern Droughts. 🏺 Echoes of Ancient Clay pot Irrigation Long before the term olla entered agricultural vocabulary, ancient Tamil farmers practiced remarkably similar methods. In Sangam‑era Tamilakam, clay vessels called “ māṇ paṇai ” or “kulam paṇai” were used to store and seep water near tree roots - especially for coconut, banana, and areca palms. These pots were often placed in earthen basins (thottam) lined with coir, husk, and leaf mulch, creating a natural moisture‑retention system. Inscriptions and temple garden records from regions like Pollachi, Thanjavur, and Madurai mention such paṇai neer vaḻi (pot‑water channels) as part of sustainable irrigation networks. This continuity of wisdom - from ancient Tamil pot irrigation to modern olla systems - shows how indigenous knowledge can guide regenerative farming in the...
Just wanted to deviate from my regular topics. As we approach the holidays week remembered our passions that we loved so much when we grew up. Coming from a small town we were close knit friends who I would consider more of a family than friends. From high school to Masters - during that time our main passions were Cricket, Music and Story books. Most of the discussions were about Cricket, story books we read (mostly written by great Sujatha and historic epics by great Kalki were our favorites) and music. Tamil movies music was our major topic during every gathering and would discuss about the songs for hours. Great Maestro Illayaraja started his peak ascend during these years. Maestro Illayaraja (Music Legend) We loved his music and that continues until today. The thing with his music is that there is something soul touching in it. Just by listening to his song we can go back and re live those days again. We can relate e...